The pause on Ofsted inspections for National Professional Qualification (NPQ) providers has been extended for the rest of the academic year, the inspectorate has confirmed.
There will also be a pause to routine inspections of early career teacher programme (ECTP) providers.
The decision on both, announced today, follows a .
Ofsted said that the extended pause will allow it to “continue developing a renewed inspection framework that aligns our inspections of NPQ and ECTP providers with the current approach to inspecting other education remits”.
The schools watchdog has not been inspecting NPQ or ECTP providers since November 2025, after a request from then education secretary Bridget Phillipson.
NPQ review approaches two years
NPQs were placed under government review in January 2025, with an expert steering group tasked with improving practice for teaching pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Education leaders at the time said there was a need for a “thorough review” and that the sector was “not convinced by NPQs”.
Last November Ofsted said inspections had been stopped to align with the Department for Education’s NPQ review and the launch of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement (ECTE) in September 2025. The aim was to allow the inspectorate to redevelop its approach to NPQ and Early Career Framework inspections.
Today’s announcement confirms that this pause will continue for the entirety of the current academic year.
The inspectorate said it will use this time to “engage with the sector on the new inspection toolkit, operating guide and report card for NPQ and ECTP providers”.
Routine inspections of providers of both programmes are due to resume in 2027-28, the watchdog added.
Vlog asked the government today when the NPQ review is expected to be concluded, and whether the extended pause in Ofsted inspections has had an impact on the timeline.
